Chaeles l



(No Model.) I w C, LQCLARKE 8v. J. ,LEIG-I.

Apparatus for Lighting Gas by Electricity.' No.` 240,661. 6 Patented AApril 26, 18s-1.

FIGJQ.

y am j' M' C] .hg/M

UNM

UNITED STATES PATENT Oriucno CHARLES L. CLARKE AND JOHN LEIGH, 0F MANCHESTER, COUNTY OF LANCASTER, GREAT BRITAIN.4

APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING GAS BY ELCTRICITY.

SPECIFICATION forming part `of Letters Patent No.,240,661, dated April 26, 1881. Application filed February 14, 1881` (No model.) Patented in England J une l, 1880.

To all whom, tt may concern Be it known that we, GHARLns Linen CLARKE and JOHN LEIGH, both residing in Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, and subjects of the Queen ot' Great Britain and Ireland, have invented Improvements in the Construction of Apparatus for Lighting Gas by Electricity, parts oi' which improvements are also applicable to other electrical appliances, (for part of which invention we obtained a patent in Great Britain, dated June l, 1880, No. 2,229,) of which the following is a specification.

The principal object of this invention is to construct a convenient, durable, and portable form of hand lamp or apparatus for lighting gas by means of electric sparks or platinum wire heated by the electric current. This hand lamp or apparatus is especially adapted for use in mills, cotton or other factories, warehouses, and other places Where there is a danger of re from the dropping of a spark if an ordinary lamp or lighted taper be employed for lighting the gas. It may also be used with great advantage in hotels, private dwellinghouses, and other places where it is required to light gas without danger from falling sparks.

To use the electric sparks we employ, iby preference, a battery-cell of the special construction hereinafter described, to which is is connected an induction-coil, either with or without a condenser.

Figure l, in the annexed drawings, which form part of this speciiication, is a vertical section, and Fig. 2 a sectional plan view of the apparatus, ,showing one moditication of batterywhich we propose to employ.

rlhis battery we prefer to form as follows: We take a small rectangular piece ot thin silver-foil, on each side of which we lay acoating (about one-eighth of an inch thick) of chloride of silver in a dry powdered state, keeping the latter in place by wrapping round the whole a single fold of blotting-paper, the silver-foil being provided with a projecting lug, to which one of the wires is to be connected. On each side we then lay a piece of zinc plate of about the same size, each plate being provided with a projecting lug at one end or side for forming the connection with the other wire. The whole is then wrapped again in one fold oi' blottingpaper,whicli is'held in position by two or three elastic bands. lt is then subjected to pressure in a screw-press or otherwise to solidify the chloride of silver. It is then placed in a small ebonite or wooden box or cell, a a, containing the exciting-duid, which is a saturated solution of chloride of zinc, the quantity of uid being rather more than will be absorbed by the blotting-paper. A wire, b b, is connected to the silver-foil, and a wire, c c, is attachedY to the two zinc plates; but this construction of battery we do not desire to claim in this case, as it is proposed to make it the subject of a separate application.

A condenser may be used with the coil, as shown at d, Fig. 2.

The terminals of theinduction-coil e arc carried to two points, f f', respectively, in a suitable short tube, g g, these two points being separated by a suflicient space, across which (when the apparatus is working) the electric spark or sparks pass; or, instead of the inductioncoil,we employed a tine piece of platinum wire, which is (as is well known) rendered white-hot by the passage of the electric current, such platinum wire being stretched across the abovenamed tube and connected suitably with the battery.

The tube which carries the ends of the wires from the induction-coil (or, in the other case, the platinum wire) has a guard, h It, of wiregauze attached to it, so that the gas-burner cannot be brought into contact with them and displace and injure them. It is suiiicient to connect one of the terminal wires of the coil with any part of the metallic casin g of the apparatus for the currrent of electricity to pass from the point f and complete the circuit, the other terminal wire, f, being directly connected with the point j".

The apparatus has a suitable commutator, t t', provided, which breaks the circuit, excepting when pressed down by the thumb or iinger, so that the whole apparatus is out of ac tion inits normal state. When the commutator Mis pressed the circuit is then completed, and a spark or sparks Will pass from the end of one Wire to the other Wire, or the tine platinum Wire is heated, and either may be used for lighting the gas.

The above form of battery is that which we prefer, although We can use in this lamp any of the other batteries usually employed for Working the induction-coils or heating the platinum Wire.

The Whole is inclosed in a casing, ot' any convenient-material, of portable shape, the only parts necessarily projecting outside being the handle, the commutator button or spring, and the tube or casing containing the terminal Wires of the 'coil o1' the platinum Wire.

We claim- 1. A portable electrical lighting apparatus containing a battery, induction coil and wires, and provided on the outside with a handle, circuit-closer or oommutator, `and igniting points or Wire, all substantially as set forth, so that the same hand that carries the apparatus can be used to operate the circuit-closer.

2. An electrical lighting apparatus containing a battery, induction coil and Wires, and provided on the outside of the casing with igniting points or Wire, and a guard therefor, substantially as set forth.

3. ln an electrical lighting apparatus, the combination of the igniting points or Wire with a casing, tube g, and guard lt, substantially as specilied. y

In testimony whereof` We have signed our names to this specitication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

` CEAS. L. CLARKE.

JOHN LEIGEI.

. 4 Witnesses:

GHAnLns DAVIEs, JOHN HUGHEs. 

